Zach LaVine drops 33 as Bulls hold off Rockets
Jan 18, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Zach LaVine scored a game-high 33 points, Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and five different players swished at least three 3-pointers to boost the host Chicago Bulls to a 125-120 victory against the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
Making his team debut after being acquired from Indiana as part of last week’s blockbuster trade that sent former Houston star James Harden to Brooklyn, Victor Oladipo paced the Rockets with 32 points.
Houston trailed by as many as 17 in the second quarter before cutting the deficit to three several times down the stretch, the last on a pair of Christian Wood free throws with 1:03 left. The Rockets would come no closer while losing their second straight.
LIVE: Zach LaVine postgame press conference following tonight’s win to the Rockets https://t.co/ZMKSQ3ghJS
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 19, 2021
After losing four games in a row by four points or less, the Bulls won for the second time in as many days. Chicago overcame 17 turnovers by shooting 46.7 percent, including 44.4 percent (20-for-45) from long range.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Bulls, as Denzel Valentine (13 points, eight rebounds), Thaddeus Young (12 points, nine rebounds) and Wendell Carter Jr. (10 points, eight rebounds) each flirted with double-doubles.
Garrett Temple scored 13 points and Coby White chipped in 10 for Chicago, while LaVine had seven assists.
Wood had 30 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets. Eric Gordon scored 21 points, with Jae’Sean Tate (11 points) and Mason Jones (10) also finishing in double figures.
Oladipo added nine assists in another solid game at United Center this season. He drilled all five attempts from deep while scoring 22 points for Indiana in a Dec. 26 win against Chicago.
Chicago shot 50 percent in the first half, including 9-for-22 from long range, and took a 64-52 lead into the break. LaVine, who had just one field goal in Sunday’s victory at Dallas, had four field goals in the first half en route to scoring a team-high 13 points.
John Wall (left knee soreness) and Sterling Brown (right lower leg soreness) were out for Houston, while Patrick Williams (right hip contusion) and Otto Porter Jr. (lower back strain) missed the game for Chicago.
